Appeals

Getting a guilty verdict in a criminal trial is a grim moment for a defendant. Nonetheless, the verdict does not necessarily doom a defendant to serving a sentence. To ensure justice, convicted defendants in Maryland and the District of Columbia have the right to...

If you lost a trial and feel that your attorney did not do an appropriate job of defending you, you may be able to file an appeal due to ineffective assistance of counsel. As part of your right to have a fair trial, the actions of your lawyer play a role, whether the...

Sitting behind bars after a wrongful conviction can feel disheartening and hopeless. Despite your claims of innocence and the evidence presented at trial, a jury still found enough reason to convict you for the crime in question. Fortunately, you have the legal right...

Appealing a criminal conviction is not an automatic right. Many people do not understand how appeals work and that your case must qualify. According to the District of Columbia Courts, you do have the right to request an appeal in any situation. However, the court...

Once an individual receives a sentence for a criminal conviction, he or she may qualify for an appeal. An appeal means that he or she asks a higher court to look for legal errors in the lower court's conviction.  If the higher court finds errors that would have...